Members of the Holly Springs city government will be making the 90-mile trek north to Young Harris on Saturday for their first city retreat in several years.

Mayor Tim Downing said the city chose Young Harris as the location for the retreat for its Brasstown Valley Resort, a state-owned facility which will provide a good atmosphere for officials to discuss issues of importance for the community in the coming years. Brasstown Valley Resort, Downing added, is a lower-cost facility as it is owned by the state.

Downing said the event will serve as an “overall planning session” for city officials and will be an opportunity for city staff to touch base with city council members “in a more relaxed atmosphere than a council meeting.”

City Manager Rob Logan said items to be discussed are the Holly Springs 2014 budget, capital improvement plan for the next five years and possible developments to downtown Holly Springs.

The city and its Downtown Development Authority own property in “the core” of Holly Springs and have received a proposal to redevelop the property from development firm Macauley-Schmit, which they will be reviewing, Logan said.

So far the plan for the property calls for a “mixed use” property, with residential, retail, green space and municipal areas, Logan said.

The municipal area may one day include a new city hall for Holly Springs, which will replace the city’s administration building on Holly Springs Parkway.

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